Esther and the King - Wikipedia Esther and the King From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Esther and the King Theatrical poster Directed by Raoul Walsh Italian version: Mario Bava Produced by Raoul Walsh Screenplay by Raoul Walsh Michael Elkins Uncredited: Ennio De Concini Based on Book of Esther Starring Joan Collins Richard Egan Denis O'Dea Music by Francesco Lavagnino Roberto Nicolosi Cinematography Mario Bava Edited by Jerry Webb Production company 20th Century Fox Galatea Film Distributed by 20th Century Fox Release date December 14, 1960 (1960-12-14) (U.S.) February 17, 1961 (1961-02-17) (Italy) Running time 109 minutes Country United States Italy Language English Esther and the King (Italian: Ester e il re) is a 1960 American-Italian religious epic film produced and directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Joan Collins as Esther, Richard Egan as Ahasuerus, and Denis O'Dea as Mordecai. Walsh and Michael Elkins wrote the screenplay, which was based on the Book of Esther of the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament. It recounts the origin of the Jewish celebration of Purim. An international co-production released by 20th Century Fox, Esther and the King was filmed in Italy in the CinemaScope format and the DeLuxe color process. Mario Bava, the film's cinematographer, was credited as a co-director on Italian prints of the film.[1] Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Release 5 Critical response 6 Home media 7 References 7.1 Bibliography 8 External links Plot[edit] The film is set in Persia in the 5th century BC. After the King’s wife is murdered, Esther (a Jewish woman) comes to the attention of the recently widowed King Ahasuerus. The king has been trying to stifle and defeat the campaign of hatred against the Jews by his evil minister Haman (Sergio Fantoni). Before the King can pair off with Esther and defeat the villainous Haman, there are several intervening adventures and an additional, attractive woman who competes for attention.[2] Cast[edit] The film's on-screen credits list the cast in the following order and sections: Starring Joan Collins as Esther Richard Egan as Ahasuerus, King of Persia With Denis O'Dea as Mordecai Sergio Fantoni as Haman Rick Battaglia as Simon Renato Baldini as Klydrathes Gabriele Tinti as Samuel Rosalba Neri as Zeresh Walter Williams (as Robert Buchanan) as Hegai[3] Also starring Daniela Rocca as Vashti Folco Lulli as Tobiah Production[edit] In December 1950, 20th Century Fox studio executive Darryl F. Zanuck announced he intended to produce The Story of Esther as a follow-up to David and Bathsheba, which he was producing at the time.[4] He entrusted Frank and Doris Hursley with the task of writing the screenplay.[5] George Jessel expressed interest in producing the film.[5] In February 1951, Henry King was assigned to direct the film. In October, producers Joseph Bernhard and Anson Bond purchased the script from the Hursleys and were planning the film as a 20th Century Fox release.[5] In February 1952, Hedy Lamarr bought the Hursley script for $25,000; Arthur B. Krim of United Artists negotiated the deal for her.[6] Lamarr wanted to portray Esther and produce the story as an independent feature and United Artists release, with the possibility of filming it in Italy.[6] She eventually decided to produce it in Rome as the first episode of a British television series titled The Great Love Stories, but the project changed and the story was not filmed.[7] The 1960 Writers Guild of America strike, which began in January, forced 20th Century Fox to cease production temporarily.[8] Fox president Spyros Skouras and producer Buddy Adler asked director Raoul Walsh if he could "make a film very quickly for them, because they had nothing at all, the studios were practically shut. That's why we made Esther in Italy."[8] Release[edit] Esther and the King premiered in New York City at the RKO Palace Theatre on November 18, 1960.[9][10] The film grossed 126% and was considered a hit film of the 1960-61 season.[11] Critical response[edit] James D. Ivers, writing for Motion Picture Daily, was enthusiastically positive: "All the trappings of a Biblical spectacle, exotic sets and costumes, a moving and dramatic story, and the skilled and experienced hand of Raoul Walsh make this a worthy and potentially successful entry in the present cycle of historical epics."[12] Ivers also commended the performances of the leading actors: "Joan Collins plays Esther with beauty and some depth, Richard Egan is properly virile as a soldierly but unstatesmanlike King Ahasuerus, and Denis O' Dea is dignified and devout as Mordecai".[12] The supporting actors who earned notice were a "satisfactory" Rik Battaglia, a "sufficiently menacing" Sergio Fantoni, and a "somewhat overly voluptuous" Daniela Rocca.[12] Ivers also admired the technical aspects of the film: "Color by DeLuxe and excellent camera work by Mario Bava give an eye-filling background to the straightforward story."[12] Some critics did not like the film. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times gave the film a blatantly negative review, writing that the "beautiful Bible story of Esther" had "been thumped into a crude costume charade".[10] Harrison's Reports thought the film "has a hackneyed script and two incompetent lead players [Collins and Egan]," but praised O'Dea's portrayal of Mordecai.[13] In recent years, Rosalba Neri's performance has been evaluated as "memorable".[14] Home media[edit] In 2014, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released Esther and the King on DVD as part of the manufactured-on-demand Cinema Archives line.[15] References[edit] ^ Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark by Tim Lucas, Published by Video Watchdog ^ Plot Synopsis by Eleanor Mannikka from allmovie.com website ^ Lucas 2013, p. 341. ^ "Studio Size-Ups: 20th Century Fox - Zanuck Announces Busy Work Plan For New Year". Film Bulletin: 26. December 18, 1950. ^ a b c "Esther and the King - Notes". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved November 12, 2018. ^ a b "Hedy Another Indie Set at UA as Krim Negotiates Story Buy". Variety. 185 (11): 5. February 20, 1952. ^ Shearer, Stephen Michael (2010). Beautiful: The Life of Hedy Lamarr. Macmillan. ISBN 9781429908207. ^ a b Moss 2011, p. 374. ^ "RKO Palace To Open 'Esther' on Nov. 18". Motion Picture Daily. 88 (71): 2. October 11, 1960. ^ a b Crowther, Bosley (November 19, 1960). "Screen: Costume Charade:' Esther and the King' Is New Film at Palace". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2018. ^ "Grosses: The Hits of '60-'61". Boxoffice Barometer: 31. March 26, 1962. ^ a b c d Ivers, James D. (November 21, 1960). "Review: Esther and the King". Motion Picture Daily. 88 (97): 6. ^ ""Esther and the King" with Joan Collins, Richard Egan and Denis O'Dea". Harrison's Reports. XLII (48): 190. November 26, 1960. Retrieved November 8, 2018. ^ Hughes 2011, p. 69. ^ "Esther and the King DVD". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved November 10, 2018. Bibliography[edit] Hughes, Howard (2011). Cinema Italiano - The Complete Guide From Classics To Cult. London - New York: I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84885-608-0. Lucas, Tim (2013). Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark. Video Watchdog. ISBN 978-0-9633756-1-2. Moss, Marilyn Ann (2011). Raoul Walsh: The True Adventures of Hollywood's Legendary Director. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813133942. External links[edit] Esther and the King on IMDb Esther and the King is available for free download at the Internet Archive Esther and the King at AllMovie Esther and the King at the TCM Movie Database Esther and the King at the American Film Institute Catalog Esther and the King at Rotten Tomatoes v t e Films directed by Raoul Walsh The Life of General Villa (1914) Regeneration (1915) Peer Gynt (1915) Carmen (1915) Blue Blood and Red (1916) The Serpent (1916) The Honor System (1917) The Silent Lie (1917) Betrayed (1917) The Conqueror (1917) The Pride of New York (1917) The Innocent Sinner (1917) On the Jump (1918) The Prussian Cur (1918) Every Mother's Son (1918) Evangeline (1919) Should a Husband Forgive? (1919) The Deep Purple (1920) The Oath (1921) Kindred of the Dust (1922) Lost and Found on a South Sea Island (1923) The Thief of Bagdad (1924) East of Suez (1925) The Spaniard (1925) The Wanderer (1925) The Lucky Lady (1926) The Lady of the Harem (1926) What Price Glory? (1926) The Monkey Talks (1927) The Loves of Carmen (1927) Sadie Thompson (1928) The Red Dance (1928) Me, Gangster (1928) The Cock-Eyed World (1929) Hot for Paris (1929) The Big Trail (1930) The Man Who Came Back (1931) Women of All Nations (1931) The Yellow Ticket (1931) Wild Girl (1932) Me and My Gal (1932) Sailor's Luck (1933) Hello, Sister! (1933) The Bowery (1933) Going Hollywood (1933) Under Pressure (1935) Baby Face Harrington (1935) Every Night at Eight (1935) Klondike Annie (1936) Big Brown Eyes (1936) Spendthrift (1936) Artists and Models (1937) Hitting a New High (1937) O.H.M.S. (1937) Jump for Glory (1937) College Swing (1938) St. Louis Blues (1939) The Roaring Twenties (1939) Dark Command (1940) They Drive by Night (1940) High Sierra (1941) The Strawberry Blonde (1941) Manpower (1941) They Died with Their Boots On (1941) Desperate Journey (1942) Gentleman Jim (1942) Background to Danger (1943) Northern Pursuit (1943) Uncertain Glory (1944) Objective, Burma! (1945) Salty O'Rourke (1945) The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945) The Man I Love (1947) Pursued (1947) Cheyenne (1947) Silver River (1948) Fighter Squadron (1948) One Sunday Afternoon (1948) Colorado Territory (1949) White Heat (1949) Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) Along the Great Divide (1951) Distant Drums (1951) Glory Alley (1952) The World in His Arms (1952) Blackbeard the Pirate (1952) The Lawless Breed (1953) Sea Devils (1953) A Lion Is in the Streets (1953) Gun Fury (1953) Saskatchewan (1954) Battle Cry (1955) The Tall Men (1955) The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956) The King and Four Queens (1956) Band of Angels (1957) The Naked and the Dead (1958) The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958) A Private's Affair (1959) Esther and the King (1960) Marines, Let's Go (1961) A Distant Trumpet (1964) v t e Mario Bava Films directed Black Sunday Hercules in the Haunted World Erik the Conqueror The Girl Who Knew Too Much Black Sabbath The Whip and the Body Blood and Black Lace The Road to Fort Alamo Planet of the Vampires Knives of the Avenger Kill, Baby, Kill Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs Danger: Diabolik Five Dolls for an August Moon Hatchet for the Honeymoon Roy Colt & Winchester Jack Four Times That Night A Bay of Blood Baron Blood Lisa and the Devil Shock Rabid Dogs Collaborative works I Vampiri The Day the Sky Exploded Caltiki – The Immortal Monster The Giant of Marathon Esther and the King The Wonders of Aladdin The Odyssey Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Esther_and_the_King&oldid=999876682" Categories: 1960 films 1961 films English-language films 1960s romantic drama films 20th Century Fox films American romantic drama films Cultural depictions of Esther Italian romantic drama films Italian films Films about Christianity Films about Jews and Judaism Films based on the Hebrew Bible Films directed by Raoul Walsh Films scored by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino Films set in ancient Persia Films set in the 5th century BC Films shot in Rome Peplum films Religious epic films Sword and sandal films American films 1960 drama films 1961 drama films Hidden categories: Template film date with 1 release date Articles containing Italian-language text Articles with Internet Archive links AC with 0 elements Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version Languages Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano עברית Lëtzebuergesch Nederlands Português Simple English Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Edit links This page was last edited on 12 January 2021, at 11:36 (UTC). 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